Pak deploys military to evacuate 100,000 people as cyclone moves closer

Pakistan on Tuesday deployed the military to speed up the evacuation of around 100,000 people from the low-lying coastal areas in the southern Sindh province as Cyclone Biparjoy moved closer to the country's financial capital, Karachi.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department's (PMD) latest advisory, Biparjoy which has been downgraded from extremely severe cyclonic storm to very severe cyclonic storm moved further north-northwestward during last six hours and now lay at a distance of about 410-km south of Karachi and 400-km south of Thatta.

Cyclone Biparjoy - which means disaster or calamity in the Bengali language - is likely to hit the coastal belt of Sindh on June 15, but its intensity will subside by June 17 to 18.

The PMD stated that maximum sustained surface winds are 140-150 km/hour gusts 170 km/hour around the system centre, and sea conditions are phenomenal around the system centre with a maximum wave height of 30 feet.

Under the existing upper-level steering winds, the cyclone is most likely to track further northward until the morning of June 14, then recurve northeastward and cross between Keti Bandar (Southeast Sindh) and India's Gujarat coast on June 15 afternoon/evening as a very severe cyclonic storm with packing winds of 100-120Kmph.

Large-scale evacuations have been ordered by the Sindh government.

Sindh's Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told the media that an emergency had been declared and the Army and Navy drafted in to help relocate "more than 80,000 people" who are at risk.

"We will not request people but demand them to evacuate," he told reporters, adding that the order was being issued through social media, mosques and radio stations.

Shah said that large-scale evacuations are already being carried out in Thatta, Keti Bundar, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparkar and UmerKot districts areas likely to face the brunt of the Cyclone Biparjoy, which means disaster or calamity in the Bengali language.

"The help of the Army and Navy has been enlisted to move people to safer places in government schools and offices and other temporary shelters until this crisis is over, Murad said.

In a press conference in Islamabad, National Disaster Management Authorities (NDMA) Chairman Lt Gen Inam Haider Malik said on Tuesday that around 100,000 people will be shifted to safer places by Wednesday evening in a bid to ensure their safety.

"Measures to control the storm's effects and weather damage are in progress," he said, adding that the provincial government along with non-governmental organisations and relief camp medical missions in southwestern Balochistan have been alerted.

He was briefing regarding the arrangement made to protect citizens ahead of June 15 - the day the first severe cyclone of this year is expected to make its landfall on Pakistan's coast.

In the same press conference, Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman said the storm is now heading towards Balochistan.

"The storm will surely hit Keti Bandar; however, the NDMA is continuously monitoring the situation," she said.

She assured people that the government had started taking measures to keep citizens safe and all rescue agencies have been put on alert.

Earlier, she warned that even though the storm had downgraded from "extremely severe" to "very severe", urban flooding is likely in Karachi, given the scale and intensity of the winds.

She said that so far, more than 40,000 people have been evacuated, while 43 relief camps have been established.

Residents living near and around the Seaview beach in Pakistan's biggest city, Karachi, have also been told to voluntarily evacuate their homes in view of the threat posed by the cyclone which is expected to make a landfall near the Keti Bandar coastal area in the province.

The PMD has warned that the cyclone might cause havoc in the coastal areas of Sindh and Balochistan.

Residents in many parts of Karachi posted on social media that they could already see the effects of Cyclone Biparjoy over the city with gusty winds.

Television channels showed visuals of families moving on roads through various means with their belongings in Badin and Sujawal after evacuating their villages.

"We are expecting the high-intensity winds, heavy rainfalls and thunderstorms and high tides to damage vulnerable structures so we have started taking precautions and are evacuating the people at least 10 kilometres away from coastal areas, Jahanzaib Khan a director of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

Karachi Corps Commander Lt General Babar Iftikhar held an emergency meeting last night regarding the preparations made in Badin.

Military officials and heads of civil institutions, including Sindh Rangers Director General and Hyderabad GOC, participated in the meeting.

The persons concerned briefed Lt General Iftikhar on the preparations, who expressed satisfaction with the timely arrangements.

"All resources will be used to deal with potential threats," he directed the officials, adding that Pakistan Army troops have already reached various places in case rescue efforts are needed. "Under no circumstances will the people be left alone."

Instructions have been issued to all garrisons of the Pakistan Army regarding public assistance and rescue missions on an emergency basis.

Army troops have been dispatched from Hyderabad, Badin, and Malir cantonments to help the civil administration. The troops will assist the administration in evacuating vulnerable populations from the coastal belt.

Moreover, all garrisons of Karachi Corps have been readied for all kinds of relief activities and management of affected people.